Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Nine Recurring Coding Pitfalls for Urgent Care Clinicians to Avoid

Brad Laymon, PA, CPC, CEMC Over my career as a physician assistant, I have delved extensively into the intricacies of medical coding guidelines. Through collaborative initiatives with healthcare systems and fellow clinicians, I have been able to identify 9 common, recurring coding pitfalls. This process came with significant time and experience, and I want to share what I’ve learned as my ultimate objective has always been advancing charting accuracy to instill confidence among providers in …

Master the Distinction Between Level 3 and Level 4 Visits with These Best Practices

A recurring issue for healthcare practitioners is the frequency with which they find themselves contemplating whether a patient encounter should be classified as a level 3 or level 4 office visit. With a staggering 79% of ambulatory patient visits falling within these categories, this query has become exceedingly common among providers. Complicating matters further, the coding guidelines from the American Medical Association (AMA) contain gray areas that can contribute to additional confusion.[1] This article aims …

A New 4-Year-Old Patient with Fever and Sore Throat After a COVID Exposure

Bradley L. Laymon, PA-C, CPC, CEMC PRESENTATION A mother brings in her 4-year-old, who has never visited your urgent care center before, with complaints of fever and sore throat. The mother provides the HPI. She explains that the child’s symptoms have been present for 2 days. During that time, the patient’s temperature rose to a high of 101.5°F (38.6°C). Ibuprofen has been effective in reducing the fever. The girl was exposed to COVID-19 at daycare …

Code Case Files: An Established Adult Male Patient with 2 Days of COVID-Like Symptoms

Bradley L. Laymon, PA-C, CPC, CEMC PRESENTATION A 47-year-old established male patient presented after 2 days of COVID-like symptoms (fever >100.5°F, cough, headache). Symptoms were mild and constant. He denied chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, rash, dizziness, and nausea/vomiting/diarrhea. He reported trying to alleviate the symptoms with acetaminophen and guaifenesin, with minimal relief. He has no known allergies The patient, who had never tested positive for COVID-19, acknowledged recent exposure to a colleague …